2017 Accomodations & logistics

2017 STAMP Workshop – Accommodations

We are not reserving hotel room blocks this year because better prices can be found on the Internet than they are willing to give us.

The workshop will be at the MIT Stata Center near Kendall Square. There are several hotels within a short walking distance, but hotels near MIT are very expensive. In general, hotels in Boston are expensive. However, If you want to save some money or the closest hotels are not available, there is a metro (subway) stop in Kendall Square on the MBTA Red Line. Any hotel near the Red Line will be an easy trip to MIT. Check the web for MBTA route maps.

Here is some information about hotels that we know about :

Within a block or two of the workshop:
The Kendall Hotel
Boston Marriott Cambridge
Residence Inn by Marriott Boston Cambridge

About 5 blocks away:
Le Meridien Cambridge
Hyatt Regency Cambridge (they provide free shuttle service to Kendall Square. There is also a free campus Shuttle from the dormitories a couple of blocks away)

About a mile away, but with no transportation to MIT:
Hotel Marlowe
Royal Sonesta Boston,
Holiday Inn and Suites (about the cheapest you will find, but a long walk to MIT and no transportation. There is also a Hampton Inn, etc. in the same area, all with good prices but a long walk),

Others:
Liberty Hotel (about a mile away and one stop on the Red Line)
Best Western Hotel Tria (best prices you will find, but about 5 stops on the Red Line. They provide a free Shuttle to the near Red Line station (Alewife) and also to Harvard Square)

The Internet will have information about other hotels. Of course, there is also Airbnb

There is a free iPhone/Android App called “MIT Mobile” with maps and campus information. You can also find an interactive map of campus at http://whereis.mit.edu

Registration: Registration will be at a table in the foyer of the Stata Building (Building 32) in the morning before the tutorials and in front of 32-123 early on Tuesday morning.

Getting to MIT from Logan Airport

TAXI – Taxi fare from the airport to MIT is about $35. During non-rush hour, the taxi ride will take about 15 minutes. During rush hour, the ride could take 30 minutes or more.

SHARED SHUTTLE VANS – There are various shared shuttle vans from Logan Airport to and from hotels in Boston and Cambridge

PUBLIC TRANSPORT – From any terminal at Logan Airport follow “Silver Line T” signs, and take the Silver Line bus to South Station (end of the line). At South Station, change to the Red Line inbound toward Alewife. Exit at Kendall/MIT for Building 32 (Tuesday workshops) or the Marriott or Kendall hotel. Under normal conditions the ride will take about 45 minutes. The ride from Logan to South Station is free. To ride the T anywhere else, the fare is $2.00 (if you have a plastic Charlie Card already) or $2.50 (cash). You can also purchase multiple-day passes if you anticipate using the T frequently (if you are staying in Kendall or Central Square areas, you likely will not need the T). More information is available at http://www.mbta.com.

Parking Information

Public Parking Facilities - The 5 Cambridge Center (Orange marker on the map below; Entrance on Ames St.) may be used by vendors, visitors and others who have business with MIT, but who do not have an MIT parking permit. There is a charge.

Parking On Campus –For parking on campus, Hayward St. Lot or 139 Mass Ave Lot (see Campus Map) are two options. However, they are only free after 5pm unless you buy parking tickets ($22/day) at Parking & Transportation Office in W-20 (Yellow marker on the map below).

The easiest way to get from Kendall Square/Red Line Stop and Building 32, is to walk. It is about 2 blocks. Although there is an EZRide shuttle for $2 and the Tech Shuttle for free, but it’s a long, roundabout ride. The shuttles run different schedules and routes at different times of day. Information is available at: http://www.charlesrivertma.org/documents/EZRsch013012web.pdf

The best way to find out about the shuttles (routes, what times they will arrive) is to use the “MIT Mobile” phone app mentioned above.

Food Options

The easiest options for the sessions in the Stata Center (Building 32) are the café located in the building lobby (sandwiches, salads, sushi, a hot entre). There are also a few quick restaurants on Main St at Kendall Square—Cosi, Rebecca’s Café, and Au Bon Pain. The Stratton Student Center (W-20) food court is slightly farther away, but it has a variety food court options.

Coffee Options

The Café in the Stata Center (Building 32) lobby serves coffee and tea and pastries. The Student Center has a Dunkin Donuts on the first floor. There is also one in Kendall Square in the “food court” next to the Mariott Hotel. Additionally there is a Starbucks in the lobby of the Marriott hotel in Kendall Square and an Au Bon Pain on the corner of Main Street.

Dinner and Evening Options

A buffet dinner will be provided at the reception/poster/tools demo session on Wednesday, March 23.

One of the best seafood restaurants in Boston (some would say the U.S.) is Legal Seafood in Kendall Square, right across the street from the Kendall Hotel. The local hotels also have restaurants and there are some new upscale restaurants near MIT but I cannot vouch for them. The concierge at your hotel should be able to help.

You should visit Harvard Square for at least one evening. That’s the gathering place for university students in Cambridge (Harvard Square is located right next to Harvard University, which is one of the most beautiful universities in the world). Harvard Square has a vast array of restaurants, stores, and some evening entertainment options (including Passim, which is one of the places where the 1960s folk music scene began). Harvard Square is a great place to wander around and enjoy the ambiance. It can most easily be reached (unless you want some exercise after sitting all day) by taking the “T” (subway) outbound (toward Alewife) two stops from Kendall Square. If you prefer walking, Harvard Square is about a mile and a half from Kendall Square. For those staying at the Best Western Tria in Alewife, your hotel provides a free Shuttle to Harvard Square (as well as to the Alewife T stop). You might also enjoy browsing in the Harvard Coop (bookstore) in Harvard Square and in the MIT Coop (which is in Kendall Square).

Check the internet for a large array of Boston evening activities, including the Boston Symphony, theater, and the famous Blue Man Group. If you have extra days, Boston guided tours as well as “on and off” tour buses (you can spend as much time as you want at each location) leave from Kendall Square. These buses visit the “Freedom Trail” (the important places associated with the American Revolution).